The present invention relates to hinges, and, more particularly, to architectural hinges which are substantially concealed when installed.
Various types of hinges are widely employed in connection with the mounting of doors on door frames. Depending upon the size and weight of the door, different hinges may be preferred for a given application. Other factors which bear upon hinge selection include the appearance, ease of installation and maintenance, and durability.
In certain installations, it is aesthetically desirable to conceal the hinge to the fullest extent feasible. In still other installations, it is desirable to mount the hinge so that, with the door closed, it is not accessible so as to permit an intruder to attempt to remove the hinge pins and thereby gain access to the building or room.
In most commercial and industrial applications, the doors employed are mounted in metal frames. Generally, these metal frames have hollow sections, and cutouts are provided in the jambs for the mounting of the hinges and for the mounting of the door latch elements. With such hollow metal frames, there are limitations upon the types of hinges which may be employed, and it is difficult to produce a rugged assembly in which conventional hinges are substantially concealed. Moreover, some heavy doors produce high loads at the hinge mounting areas of the jamb and it is desirable to reinforce the area in which the hinges are mounted.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel architectural hinge assembly which may be readily mounted on the jamb of a door frame to support a door.
It is also an object to provide such a hinge assembly which substantially conceals the hinge when the door is in the closed position.
Another object is to provide such a hinge assembly which permits movement of the door to an open position in which restriction of the the door opening is substantially avoided for easy passage of material and people therethrough, and which also includes means for limiting the amount of door opening movement to prevent undue forces upon the hinge and its mounting.
Still another object is to provide such a hinge assembly in which the components may be readily fabricated and assembled to provide a strong hinge mounting for relatively heavy doors.